Fifty Godly and Learned Sermons (The Decades)

Furthermore, he hath left the holy time ¹to worship God in, free to our choice, who in the Gospel saith: The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath: therefore the son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath And the Apostle Paul saith: Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or drink, or in part of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbaths, which are the shadows of things to come, but the body is of Christ. Of the Christian Sabbath I spake in the exposition of the fourth Commandment. As for the new moons they are not solemnized by the church of Christ, in so much as it is taught by Christ to attribute to God, not the beginning of Months only, but the whole year also and the commodity thereof, with the light of the Sun, the Moon, and all the stars in heaven.

Furthermore, he hath leaft the holy time ¹to worship God in, frée to our choice, who in the Gospel saith: The Sabboth was made for man, not man for the Sabboth: therefore the sonne of man is Lorde also of the Sabboth And the Apostle Paule saith: Let no man therefore iudge you in meate, or drinke, or in parte of an holie daye, or of the new moone, or of the Sabbothes, which are the shadowes of things to come, but the bodie is of Christ. Of the Christian Sabboth I spake in the exposition of the fourth Commaundement. As for the newe moones they are not solemnized by ye churche of Christ, in so much as it is taught by Christ to attribute to God, not the beginning of Moneths onely, but the whole yeare also and the commoditie thereof, with the light of the Sunne, the Moone, and all the starres in heauen.

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Moreover the Christians do celebrate their passover more spiritually then bodily: even as also they do solemnize their Pentecost or whitsuntide. For as he sent his spirit upon his disciples, so doth he daily sent it upon all the faithful. And that is the cause that in the faithful the alarm is stricken up to encourage them as soldiers to skirmish with their enemies. For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the faithful are daily assaulted and provoked to battle by the world, and by the devil the prince of the world. Furthermore the feast of propitiation being once finished upon the cross endureth for ever: neither do the Saints any more send out a scape goats to bear their sins into the desert. For Christ our Lord came once and was offered up, and by his sacrifice took away the sins of all the world. Finally since the faithful do daily consider & bear in their minds, that they have no abiding place in this transitory world, but y they look after a place to come, they need not, as the Jews did, once a year to celebrate the feast of Tabernacles. In like manner the faithful do no more acknowledge any year of Jubilee. For Christ came once and preached unto us y acceptable year, even the Gospel, whereby it is proclaimed, that all our sins and iniquities are clearly forgiven us. For so doth Christ himself interpret it in the fourth of Saint Lukes gospel, taking occasion to speak of it out of the sixth Chapter of Isaiah's prophecy. And thus the holy time and festival days are abrogated by Christ in his holy Church: which notwithstanding is not left destitute of any holy thing or necessary matter.